


Buttercups

by Fandomaniac1214



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Fandomaniac destroys her heart once again regarding this game's backstory, Gen, Gender-Neutral Chara, Kind of just a continuation of canon info but who cares I just wanted to write it, Recurring flower, This is my first fic so here goes, i love these two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 06:05:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11753610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fandomaniac1214/pseuds/Fandomaniac1214
Summary: Asriel laughed, moving to grab the flower from the ground and putting it back in Chara’s hands. “I’m glad you're okay, Chara.”Chara smiled wryly. “Aw, Asriel. I’m always okay.”





	Buttercups

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, this is Fandomaniac, finally attempting some fanfiction. I hope you like it!

Chara really was the best friend/sibling Asriel could ever have asked for. They were friendly, they were funny, they put up with him being such a big crybaby. They had an  _ awesome _ creepy face that they used to scare anyone who made fun of him.

Really, he had it good.

They had a really great sense of humor, too, and with a mom like Toriel, that always helped.

...Until it didn't.

 

_ “Okay, Chara, are you ready? Do your creepy face! AHHHHH!! Hee hee hee! Oh! Wait! I had the lens cap on... What!? You're not gonna do it again...? Come on, quit tricking me! Haha!” _

 

“...And, now it says we have to put in a few cups of butter,” Asriel said, looking at the small piece of paper in his hand thoughtfully, rubbing his head.

Chara looked over at him from where they sat on top of the counter, swinging their legs back and forth as they chewed slowly on a chocolate bar.

“Cups of butter, huh?” they asked, licking their fingers, a mischievous gleam entering their eyes.

Asriel giggled at the look on their face. “Hee hee hee! What's that look for? What have you got in mind?”

“Well,” said Chara, laughing and jumping off of the counter and putting their hands on their hips, “how funny would it be, if instead of cups of butter, we put in _actual_ buttercups?”

Asriel let out a small bleat of laughter, doubling over and holding his stomach. “That  _ would _ be really funny! Mom would definitely get a kick out of it! Chara, that's great!”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” said Chara, moving over to the baking materials and flipping a cooking spoon effortlessly along their fingers. “So? Wanna do it?”

“Yeah!” exclaimed Asriel, launching off of his perch on the chair and running towards the door. “Let’s do it!”

Chara let out a chuckle at his exuberance. It was at times like these, when they were able to experience their brother’s happiness vicariously, that they could forget their hatred for humanity. Almost.

Their fists balled in anger at the thought as once again, they realized that it was all the humans’ fault the monsters were stuck down in the Underground at all. What they would give to punish their own kind…

_Stop it, Chara_ , they thought bitterly, crossing their arms sullenly. _You can't do anything about it. Go have fun with your brother for once and stop whining about things you can't control._

They shook their head irritably and moved to follow him out the door, before jumping up to grab one of the small yellow flowers from the vase and sticking it in their hair.

 

Turns out, cups of butter could not be substituted for buttercups.

Asriel would have nightmares about the moment his father fell for the rest of his life.

 

As soon as Asgore was safe in bed, Toriel rounded on her children, fire in her eyes.

“What. Happened.”

Asriel instantly started crying, blubbering out attempts to explain and intense apologies in the same breath.

“Asriel, please,” Toriel said tiredly, pinching in between her eyes. “I can not understand you.”

“We thought it would be funny,” he finally said through his sobs. “Replacing cups of butter with buttercups.”

Toriel turned to Chara at his admission. “Is this true?”

Chara, still looking shocked to the core, a flower tucked behind their ear, nodded silently.

“Why would you do such a thing?” Toriel asked, a short, exasperated burst of breath escaping her calm facade.

“We didn’t know,” said Chara, tears finally pricking in the corners of their eyes. “We didn’t know they were bad…”

Toriel sighed again, this one long and thoughtful.

“We’re so sorry, Mommy!” Asriel exclaimed, bursting into fresh tears again.

Toriel sighed again, before leaning down and embracing him, taking his quivering form in her arms.

“I know you are,” she said softly. “Just do not do it again, okay?”

“We won't,” Chara said. “We won't.”

 

Chara walked into the kids’ shared room, following behind Asriel, who was still crying slightly, sniffing loudly.

Asriel turned around to face Chara as they shut the door, their head hanging, their bangs covering their face, sighing deeply.

“Are you okay, Chara?” he asked, sniffling again and wiping his eyes.

Chara let out a dark laugh, walking over to their bed and taking the flower out of their hair. “Why wouldn't I be?”

Asriel blinked in shock as Chara sat down on the bed, and then turned around to face the wall, their head never lifting up.

“Chara, we hurt Dad! Really bad! He’s really sick!”

Chara’s bed shook as they began to laugh again, a hollow, terrifying sound that sent shivers up his spine.

“Chara?” Asriel whimpered. “You’re kinda scaring me.”

Chara turned around to lie on their back, still letting out those slightly insane laughs.

Asriel whimpered as they turned their head to look at him, cackling madly.

“Really?” they asked, grinning widely. “Really? I’m scaring you?”

They sat up abruptly, jumping to their feet on the bed to loom ominously over Asriel, who let out a small squeal of fear. Their bangs were still hanging over their face, but Asriel could feel their eyes boring into him even when they sat back down on the bed, closer to his own height, the flower clenched in their hand.

“Chara,” Asriel exclaimed slowly, nervous of setting them off again. “Is this just ‘cause you're worried about Dad?”

Chara snorted derisively, waving a hand dismissively. “Dad is gonna be fine.”

“Why are you not worried?” Asriel burst out, finding an ounce of courage and shouting suddenly. “He’s our dad!”

“No, Asriel!” Chara yelled back, standing up just as abruptly, throwing the flower down on the ground and moving forward to poke him in the chest. “He’s your dad! I don't have a dad!”

They shook their bangs out of their eyes furiously, the long silence following their outburst not helping their mood in the slightest. Asriel was staring at her, looking terrified, his eyes wide, quivering slightly as he took in several shaky breaths.

As well he should, Chara thought angrily. I’m the real monster here.

“My dad was gone a long time ago,” they finally snarled.

Asriel continued to stare at them, his eyes wide.

Suddenly he burst into movement.

Unlike running out of the room sobbing, like Chara expected, he launched forward and wrapped his arms around them in a hug.

Chara froze in shock. 

“He is your dad, Chara!” Asriel exclaimed from their right shoulder. “Just like Mom is your mom!”

Chara smiled humorlessly, unable to prevent the small eye roll. “That’s nice, Asriel.”

“And not only am I your best friend,” he continued, still hugging them so tightly it almost hurt, “I’m also your brother! You have a family, Chara!”

He sniffled once, beginning to cry again. “We all love you, Chara!”

Chara chuckled weakly, patting him on the head before finally returning the hug. “Thanks, Asriel.”

“I mean it, Chara!” Asriel said, pulling away to give her a watery grin. “You’re part of our family now! You have been, didn't you know?”

“I didn’t,” Chara said, letting a small, almost-genuine smile come to their face. 

“Well, you are!” said Asriel, who was still crying, but grinning at them nonetheless.

“You’re such a crybaby, Asriel,” Chara said, a small hum coming from their chest. “Dad’s gonna be alright. It’s okay.”

Asriel laughed, moving to grab the flower from the ground and putting it back in Chara’s hands. “I’m glad you're okay, Chara.”

Chara smiled wryly. “Aw, Asriel. I’m always okay.”   
  
_ “Howdy, Chara! Smile for the camera! Ha, this time I got YOU! I left the cap on... ON PURPOSE! Now you're smiling for noooo reason! Hee hee hee! What? Oh, yeah, I remember. When we tried to make butterscotch pie for Dad, right? The recipe asked for cups of butter. But we accidentally put in buttercups instead. Yeah! Those flowers got him really sick. I felt so bad. We made Mom really upset. I should have laughed it off, like you did... Um, anyway, where are you going with this? Huh? Turn off the camera...? OK.” _

 

Asriel put down the video camera hesitantly, biting his lip. “What’s wrong, Chara?”

They were sitting on the flowerbed, their face turned toward the ground as they fidgeted with a small yellow flower. “I think I have an idea, Asriel. An idea to save the monsters.”

Asriel’s eyes widened, mouth falling open. “What? You mean… how to break the barrier?”

Chara nodded almost imperceptibly, head still down, fingers still twisting the flower.

Asriel gasped, grinning widely, oblivious to their mood. “How?” he asked excitedly.

Chara chuckled dryly, lifting the flower up to their face and sniffing. “You know the legend about passing through the barrier?”

“Yeah, of course,” Asriel replied instantaneously. “A monster SOUL and a human SOUL. But what does that have to do with-”

“Everything,” Chara interrupted, lifting up their head to look at him briefly before turning their gaze back to the ground and ripping the flower in two.

A dark chill ran through Asriel. “W-Wait. You’re talking about me and you?”

Chara nodded again, before continuing, “You've heard the legend of when a monster SOUL absorbs a human SOUL?”

Something seemed to click in Asriel’s mind, and he stood up quickly, looking down at Chara, who didn't even flinch, simply focusing on tearing the flower apart.

“Chara, I don't think that's such a good idea,” he stammered. “Doesn’t the legend also say-”

“The human has to die for the monster to absorb their SOUL. Yes, Asriel.”

Chara looked up again, into his terrified eyes. “And I know the perfect way to do it.”

 

_ “I... I don't like this idea, Chara. Wh.. what? N-no, I'm not... ... big kids don't cry. Yeah, you're right. No! I'd never doubt you, Chara... Never! Y... yeah! We'll be strong! We'll free everyone. I'll go get the flowers.” _

 

“Are-Are you really sure about this, Chara?” Asriel asked as they were walking back home.

Chara nodded wordlessly, once again fidgeting with a flower in their hands, spinning the stem between their fingers.

“I mean, I’m not doubting you, but… Couldn't we find another way?”

“This is the only way, Asriel,” Chara snapped, twisting their head to glare at him. “We have to get past the barrier to get six human SOULs. With those, and mine, we'll be able to break the barrier for good.”

“Well, yeah, I know that,” Asriel whimpered, wringing his hands. “But… doesn't that mean we’ll have to…”

Chara stopped, turning to look at him and sighing. “Yes, Asriel,” they said more gently. “But six humans is a small price to pay for the freedom of the monsters.” They laughed darkly, crushing the flower viciously between their hands. “A really small price to pay.”

Asriel looked at them, his brows furrowed in concern. “Chara, are you okay?”

Chara sighed and looked away, beginning to walk again. “I’m always okay, Asriel.”

No matter how hard he tried, Asriel couldn't get another word from them.

  
_ “Psst... Chara... Please... wake up... I don't like this plan anymore. I... I... ... no, I said... I said I'd never doubt you. Six, right? We just have to get six... And we'll do it together, right?” _


End file.
